Issued by: GCIS
STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER OF JUSTICE AND CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, DR PENUELL MADUNA, IN CONNECTION WITH SOUTH AFRICA'S ACCESSION TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE SUPPRESSION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIME OF APARTHEID AS APPROVED BY CABINET.
The Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Dr Penuell Maduna, hereby announces that cabinet has approved that Parliament at its next siting, be requested to accede to the United Nation's International Convention on the Suppression and the Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid.
The Convention was adopted and opened for signature, ratification and accession by the General Assembly of the United Nations on 30 November 1973 and came into operation on 18 July 1976.
The main purpose of the convention is to declare apartheid as a crime and to criminalize acts of apartheid.
The Convention also seeks to address the crime of apartheid applied to the following acts committed for the purpose of establishing and maintaining domination by one group of persons over any other racial group of persons and systematically oppressing them: murder, torture, persecution, forced labour imposition of conditions calculated to cause destruction of a racial group and legislative or other measures adopted to promote apartheid.
State parties are also required in terms of the Convention, to adopt any legislation or other measures necessary to suppress as well as to prevent any encouragement of the crime of apartheid and similar segregation policies or their manifestations and to punish persons guilty of these crimes.
It is with deep regret that the Convention against apartheid has not yet been ratified despite the fact that it is the significant foundation of our new democratic government. It dates back to 1976, and the previous government whose main pillar was apartheid or racial discrimination could neither sign or ratify the Convention.
The South Africa government is committed to the eradication of all forms of apartheid or racial discrimination and will submit periodic reports as required by the Convention once acceded to by our Parliament, to the UN Commission on the Human Rights about legislative, judicial, administrative or other measur4es adopted to give effect to the provision of the convention.
ISSUED BY PAUL SETSETSE ON BEHALF OF: DR MADUNA
Tel. 012 3238581 Cell. 0832524770
19 JULY 1999